Dive Brief:
- The Colorado State Board of Education is meeting this month to discuss an anonymous public health survey that has riled up parents over its questions about sex and drug use.
- The survey, which has been passed out for almost 25 years, is considered essential by public health officials, who use it to track hazardous trends and behaviors common among teens.
- Parents upset by the survey say it is inappropriate and invasive, so the board will discuss whether or not to send home a permission slip before it is administered.
Dive Insight:
Before Colorado makes any rash decisions, it should consider the case of Kansas. Last year, that state adopted a new privacy law requiring parental consent for all student surveys dealing with sex, religion, or family life. The legislation was enacted because of concerns over the Common Core and data sharing, but it inadvertently affected the data on Kansas' own public health survey. The number of students filling out the annual Kansas Communities That Care survey dropped from 100,000 to about 25,000 because of the permission slip requirement.
Most important to note, however, is the fact that the drop does not necessarily represent the number of parents opposed to the survey, but rather the realities and disorganization that can occur with more paperwork. Many parents either forgot to sign the slip or schools were too slow in getting it out to families.